


Heart under blade

by Cheesysquid



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Nero and reader are bestfriends, Rating May Change, Reader is smol but stronk, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-06 02:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21219272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheesysquid/pseuds/Cheesysquid
Summary: Y/N, a girl with a tragic past, was taken in at  a young age to be the local renowned blacksmith's apprentice. A fateful encounter with a dark-haired man changed her life, and she soon found out that her delivery of his order led her to face the remnants of her past once more.





	Heart under blade

**Author's Note:**

> I can't stop coming up with AUs yall...  
I'd like to say my heartfelt thanks to my friends at discord who helped with the creation of this fic :) especially @decafinated-coffee on tumblr. Thanks for working on this one with me love <3  
\------------------  
The settings of this fic are loosely based on medieval time. Updates might be slow as I will focus on completing my other fic "Blooming lilies" for the time being ><.

Ragged breathing could be heard as a small figure dashed through a dark forest. Puffs of air escaped the unknown girl’s lips, her heart raced frantically within her chest and terror was coursing through her veins. Behind her, embers of ashes danced in the air in the distance , as smoke reached for the dark sky and screams pierced the silence of the night. A gasp escaped her trembling lips when she fell forward, and she scrambled to get back on her feet, ignoring how her body was sore all over from the impact. Her lungs were burning, her legs were shaking, and yet she could not stop running. She was not allowed to stop running, for the moment she stopped would be her last. Hurried footsteps could be heard echoing off the ground of the forest, and there were voices behind her shouting words that fueled the terror in her mind. Cruel, coarse, full of threats of an ugly end. They were everywhere, shouting for her, looking for her, intending to capture her. And yet, all she could echoing in her head at that moment was a voice that told her to run, to let her feet lead her away from this predicament that she was in. 

_ Run _

_ You must run _

_ Do not make a sound. Do not let them hear. _

_ Do not turn back, even just once, do not look for me. _

_ Please fulfill this last request of mine. And live. _

_ I will always be with you… _

\----------

“Big sister …!” 

The sheets of her bed rustled as Y/n jolted awake in cold sweats, her hand reaching forward as if desperately trying to reach for something. Her heart was racing within her rib cage, held tightly within the grasp of fear while tears pricked at the corner of her e/c eyes. Heaving ragged breath, the h/c girl swallowed thickly before slowly taking in her surroundings. A small window from where gentle sunlight seeped in, forming a small pool of light on the wooden floor covered in traces of soot. Resting below the window was a small wooden chest, contained within was her belongings. Little cobwebs hung on the ceiling, and there was a little shelf above her head where she kept her little handicrafts. The terrors of her nightmare slowly dissipated as her mind registered the familiar surroundings of her room. Y/N often dreaded going to bed, for she would see fragments of her past that she wished she could forget. A shaky sigh escaped her trembling lips before the h/c girl slowly raised a hand towards her chest, reaching for the necklace that she wore at all times. 

The young lass looked down at the small accessory in her hands. Memories of that awful night began to flood back into her head, and she could not help but frown at the swirling emotions within her mind. Loss, regrets, yearnings, the three emotions that she had come to accept as being part of her life. So lost in thought, she did not hear the sound of the door opening, nor did she notice the tall figure that slowly emerged from beyond the door. Y/N wasn’t aware of the pair of eyes that locked onto her as she continued to gaze at her little memento, and it wasn’t until the person had called her name twice that she finally jolted out of her reverie. 

"Hey, hey, Y/N, are ya alright there?" a brash voice reached her ears, prompting the lass to turn her head to see the source of the sound. Relief filled her heart as she saw who it was that had decided to pay her a visit. Shaggy white hair, blue eyes and broad shoulders. He was a young man in his early twenties, who had formed a strong bond with her as they grew up side by side. His name was Nero, the son of a renowned blacksmith who forged only the finest blades to those he deemed worthy. A small smile graced her face as their gazes met, and she shook her head gently before answering his question. 

"It's nothin', just that dream again. I'm fine, I swear," she answered in an even tone, shooting the tall man who was still standing at the doorway a reassuring look. Nero frowned at her just slightly as he scratched the back of his neck, a gesture she had come to associate with him being not sure of what to do. Leaning against the doorframe, the young lad let out a sigh as he crossed his arms. Y/N knew that look, he was worried about her. If there was one person who knew about the nightmares that haunted her every night, it would be him. And yet, she did not want to be a bother, and the smile on her face did not falter as they continued to look at each other in silence. A dejected sound left the young lad’s lips before he pushed himself off the wall. He then turned on his heels and walked towards the door, but not before looking over his shoulder at her. 

“I’ll be downstairs if ya need me, Y/N. Ya should probably get up and prepare breakfast, the old bastard will be up soon.” Y/n nodded her head, locking her eyes on the shaggy-haired young man’s back as he turned on his heel. Footsteps echoed off the walls as Nero made his way downstairs, leaving Y/n by herself once more. Casting her necklace one last gaze, the h/c lass swung her legs to the side of the bed before planting her feet onto the wooden floor. She stood up and stretched, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck a few times before changing into her everyday’s attire. The door closed behind her with a creaky sound, and Y/N began descending the staircase to make her way towards the small kitchen area at the back of her home. She lived at the local smithy together with Nero and his father Vergil, having been taken in under the latter’s wing as his apprentice. While her mentor honed his skills at forgery along with his son, the young lass tended to the front of the shop and minded their financials. The lass was not the chirpiest shopkeeper, but she was polite and efficient enough that their customers would always leave satisfied. 

“Man, your cooking is always so good, Y/N!” 

The corners of her lips quirked up into a small smile as the h/c lass looked at the young blacksmith, who was wolfing down the breakfast she had prepared for them. They sat at a small wooden table, and it was like a morning routine to see Nero hurriedly finish his breakfast before he would head out on deliveries. Apart from tending to the front of the shop, Y/N was also responsible to prepare meals for the three of them. She did not mind, seeing that was the least she could do to repay her mentor’s and his son’s kindness. While she was happy that the brash young man always finished everything in his plate, there were times his rapid eating speed worried her. 

“Nero, yer should slow down, master also said not to speak with yer mauth full…” she advised her companion, who was wolfing down the last bits of his breakfast. She then heard footsteps approaching them, and her heart started racing in her chest as another familiar figure appeared in her field of vision. 

“That I did teach him. Though it appears that he never remembers my lessons.” it was a cold, tired voice that greeted the two young apprentices, effectively cutting their conversation short. 

As soon as her mentor stepped foot into the kitchen, the air became heavy with a tense silence. Nero was rarely on good terms with his father, and Vergil found his hot-tempered son to be lacking in many aspects. Taking one last bite from the loaf of bread in his hand, Nero stood up from his seat before walking back to the front of their house. Y/N could not help but let her gaze follow him while Vergil sat at the table, seemingly unfazed by his son’s change in demeanor. Casting her mentor a timid glance, the young lass quietly asked for his permission to leave the table, to which the renowned blacksmith merely let out a humm. “Thank you, mentor.” she said in a quiet voice before standing up in her seat and making her way towards where the young lad was. The front door of their shop was opened, and Nero was loading the crates full of different items onto the back of a small carriage. Without a word, Y/N walked towards one of the remaining crates and began bringing it towards the awaiting carriage outside of the door. Noticing her small frame out of the corner of his eye, Nero turned his head to shoot the h/c lass a lopsided smile. She was rather humble in height, but beneath her small frame was a strength to reckon with. 

“Thanks for the help, Y/N. That should be the last one, people will come by the shop to pick up the rest later today.” he told her, cocking his head towards the inside of the shop where a number of crates could still be seen. She nodded her head at his words, earning herself a few pats on her shoulder. The young man walked past her to hop onto their horse, looking over his shoulder at her before voicing his thoughts in a cheerful tone. 

“Alright then, this lad will be on his way. Goodluck today, Y/N, look after the old bastard for me too while you’re at it. I’ll be back around dinner time.” 

The carriage was then on its way, and Y/N waved at Nero as he embarked on his delivery journey. She did not return to the shop until her eyes could no longer see the outline of the carriage from afar, silently praying for the safety of his trip. Having seen her mentor’s son off, Y/n made her way back to the kitchen. She quietly pulled out her chair and sat at the table before resuming her breakfast. Her mentor cast her a glance to acknowledge her presence as he continued to chew in an absentminded manner, inspecting a sword in his hands as he did. The blade caught her attention, and the h/c lass could not help but lock her eyes onto the sword. She recognized that sword, often seeing her mentor polishing it every morning to make sure it would be in peak conditions. Her gaze on him did not deter Vergil from continuing his task, and he issued his command in a cold voice, not even taking his eyes off his blade even just once. 

“Finish your breakfast and tend to the shop.” he ordered in a voice devoid of emotions, prompting his apprentice to jolt slightly in her seat in response. 

"Yes sir," the lass responded, ripping her eyes from his blade as she ate the remaining bit of her breakfast. Another normal day of work began afterwards, with her minding the counter and her mentor forging his blades at the furnace. Some of their regular patrons paid the shop a visit, while new faces she did not recognize came by for their orders. Time passed by in a blur as Y/N continued to fulfill her duties to the best of her ability under Vergil’s instructions. She received orders from customers, kept the front of their home clean and organized the items around the shop during quiet periods of their business hours. Shades of orange colored the sky when Nero returned to the shop, having finished his rounds of deliveries for the day. A smile bloomed on her face when Y/n looked up from the counter and saw her childhood friend’s tall figure at the front door, and the young lad in turn shot her a tired yet cheerful grin. 

“Welcome back Nero, how was yer trip?” The young h/c lass questioned the tired looking man before her, who heaved an exasperated sigh before walking in the small lobby of the smithy.

“Long and tirin’... How was your day, Y/n? Anything exciting happened today?” Nero asked, walking up to the counter where the lass sat as she polished a short sword in her hands. 

“Thee usual, some new lads found themselves here, others not so new.” she answered in her usual even tone, not even once tearing her gaze away from the weapon she was tending to. The brash young man let out a humm in response, rolling his shoulders a few times to relieve the soreness in his muscles. He did not notice the contemplative look that was on his fellow disciple’s face, and minutes passed by before the silent lass spoke once more. 

“Yee know what, Nero?” she began, causing the lad in question to shoot her a questioning look upon hearing his name roll off her tongue. She finally paused her task, slowly raising her head to shoot her childhood friend an unreadable look. 

“Yee get to go out and travel to other places, kinda makes me jealous,” Y/n remarked with a chuckle before standing up from her seat behind the counter. She moved to put the weapon in her hand away, oblivious to the exasperated sigh that escaped the shaggy-haired man’s lips. 

“Really? It ain’t that exciting Y/n, the old bastard is a real slave-driver I tell ya. Plus...” the lad paused, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner before continuing.

“Well I guess for you, but for a lass who sits and takes orders and sorts finances it sounds exciting.” Nero said with a shrug, and his demeanor made a small smile bloom on the h/c girl’s face. While there was truth laden in his words, Y/N could not help but yearn to venture out of their home like he did. There were so many things waiting for her out there, unfamiliar and much more exciting compared to being rooted inside the smithy all day. And yet she knew, her mentor would not be pleased if she dared to go against the duties he had assigned for each of them. Perhaps for now, it would be best to fulfill her tasks to the best of her abilities. 

“I guess yee have a point, Nero. Well yee better go wash up, I’ll be makin’ dinner after I feed thee old steed and put em’ up,” Y/n walked out the front door, making the small bell hanging over the front door chime as she opened and closed it behind her. Nero let his eyes lock onto the small lass’ figure through the window as she began to lead the horse to its stable. “Adventure little gal aren’t ya, Y/N?” he muttered to himself with a smirk, and without wasting anymore time, began heading to the back of the smithy to wash off the grime and dirty that clung to his body after the day’s journey. 

\--------------

Clicks of boots on marble floor echoed through the halls of a castle that stood high above the village below. A young man with vibrant jade eyes walked through the halls of the grandiose place, ebony locks swayed gently with each of his graceful step. His attire suggested that he was a man of higher standings, and attached to his hip was a long sword. Following behind him in his steps was a young woman in her late twenties. Tall and graceful, her cold and piercing grey eyes looked straight ahead as she followed her companion. She had her long brown hair braided out of her face, and there was a small, almost faded scar across her left eye. Similar to the dark-haired man, she had a sword attached to her hip, engraved on its sheath was a symbol that showed that she was one of the esteemed knights of the Kingdom. As they continued to walk, a smirk graced the mysterious man’s face, and in a deep, warm voice he began to voice his thoughts to the stern-looking woman. 

“I was wondering, perhaps we should venture out of the castle tomorrow. What say you, Anthuria?” The young man asked, turning his head to look at his trusted knight over his shoulder. His jade eyes locked with her dull grey ones, and the knight placed her hand on her chest before bowing slightly.

“As you wish, Sire.” She responded in a low tone, seemingly devoid of emotions before straightened herself again. Her answer seemed to please the young man, whose smirk widened visibly on his chiseled face. Ideas rattled within his head, and a mischievous glint sparked within his green eyes as he let out a contemplative hum. Being within the confines of the castle walls bored him, exhausted him, making him yearn to escape the grasp of his suffocating responsibilities. What luck it was that his trusty knight did not seem to mind the fact that he was willing to disregard his status to have a little outing, to where the commoners led their lives. 

“So it's settled then, we shall pay the nearby village a visit tomorrow.” 

**Author's Note:**

> We would love to know about your opinions on this fic, please feel free to leave us a comment <3


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